• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Simply So Good

  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Recipes / Entrées / Summer Garden Pasta

Summer Garden Pasta

September 1, 2012 Updated November 8, 2017 8 Comments

103 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

Right at this very moment my garden is exploding with tomatoes.  I only asked one thing of my garden this year and that was to WAIT until I was completely finished with my daughters wedding before it peaked.  
I just need one more week.  I have peppers of every kind just waiting to be added to some spicy salsa.  I have onions, tomatillos, crenshaw melon, zucchini, tomatoes and more tomatoes.  I’m loving it, but I can’t start making salsa and and bottling tomatoes until after September 9th.  
My only option is to eat as much as I can within the next 10 days or so.  I love pasta and fresh tomatoes.
Thank goodness Ina Garten had just the recipe I was looking for.  It’s so fast to prepare and tastes bright and fresh without over cooking the tomatoes. 
I decided that I wanted a more colorful palate of tomatoes in my pasta.  
All of the tomatoes in my garden are red with the exception of a few golden pear cherry tomatoes.
Off to the farmers market I went.  I can honestly say that I get more excited at a Farmers Market than I do in a shoe store.  I would take shopping at an open air farmers market and Williams-Sonoma any day over Jcrew…really!

I decided to use a variety of heirloom tomatoes for a colorful pop.

I wish I new exactly what variety I purchased.  I will refer to them as golden yellow, purple, green and the gold old red Roma’s from my garden.
What a find.  I was dancing to the car.  I called the husband that rarely reads this blog and informed him that I wanted to shop at a Framers Market everyday of my life.  I just wish he could share in the my excitement when I told him that we were eating “meatless” for few days and I had filled my bag with wonderful fruits and vegetables.  Oh joy!
You can prep this pasta dish in less than 15 minutes.  I swear.
You will need a variety of tomatoes.  Ina’s recipe called for 4 pints of cherry tomatoes.  I think she would be proud of my selection.   You will need about 4 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, fresh ground pepper,  18 basil leaves or so, 1/2 cup good extra-virgin olive oil and 1 lb of capellini pasta.  Whoops!  I forgot to picture the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. You will need 1 1/2 cups.
Begin by slicing the tomatoes.  These green gems are a little large so I’m going to quarter them.
I love the purple and gold colors.  
I decided to dice the Roma tomatoes.  Slice the tomato length wise.
Cut into strips.
Cut the strips into a dice.
I actually have about 7 different varieties.

Combine all of the tomatoes in a large pasta bowl.
Crush the 4 garlic cloves.
I just give them a good whack with my fist.  Blade down of course.
Chop the garlic.
Add garlic to the tomatoes.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
Yes.  This will add some heat to the pasta. Adjust to your liking.  You know my liking.
Add one teaspoon of Kosher salt.
About 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper.  
My basil is exploding as well.  That means I can add as much as I want.  I’ll probably add a bit more than 18 leaves.  
Place the basil leaves on top of each other and roll them together.
Slice the basil into a chiffonade.
Add to the tomato mixture.
Drizzle with 1/2 cup of fabulously flavored extra-virgin olive oil.
Gently stir.  How colorful is this?
Cover the bowl and let this mixture sit and marinate for at least 4 hours.  
When ready to serve, bring a pot of water to a boil and add a good dose of salt.  Remember salt will add flavor to that dried pasta that you are going to add.
Drop in the 1 lb. of Capellinni.
The pasta should only take about 5 minutes to cook.
Look at all the juices that have accumulated while the tomatoes marinated.  Those juices are flavor!
Add the hot pasta to the tomato mixture.
Gently stir int the pasta.
Add 1 1/2 cups of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Gently toss.
Top with a few slices of basil, if desired.  
Fast.  Fabulous.  Fresh.
Nothing left to say.


Summer Garden Pasta
Ingredients
4 pints
cherry tomatoes, halved
Good olive
oil
2
tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
18 large
basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving
1/2 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher
salt
1/2
teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound
dried angel hair pasta
1 1/2 cups
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Directions
Combine
the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper
flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic
wrap, and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hours.
Just
before you’re ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a splash of olive
oil and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente according
to the directions on the package (be careful – it only takes 2 to 3 minutes!).
Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the
cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve in big bowls with
extra cheese on each serving.  2006,
Barefoot Contessa at Home

Print this Recipe

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Entrées, Healthy, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Tagged With: Entree, healthy, side dishes, vegan, vegetarian

Previous Post: « Crusty “No-Knead” Bread Forum
Next Post: Blackberry Peach Crisp »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Neeraj kumar says

    November 16, 2018 at 10:16 am

    summer Garden Pasta Recipe| nice one i love it

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      November 16, 2018 at 8:48 pm

      Thank you.

      Reply
  2. Barbara says

    September 8, 2012 at 2:31 am

    Just received six thumbs up from the family: one a staunch tomato hater! I used lemon olive oil, which I bought for one of your other superb recipes. I found you three months ago and my family has been eating better since! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Janet@simplysogood says

      September 10, 2012 at 7:11 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind comment. I'm thrilled to receive a "six thumbs up". Wow, I rarely get that from my family.

      Reply
  3. Hermann-Josef Ammel says

    September 4, 2012 at 5:35 pm

    Hi Janet,

    and again you meet exactly my taste. I love spaghetti. I will also cook this recipe with enthusiasm!
    Greetings from Germany

    Hermann

    Reply
    • Janet@simplysogood says

      September 4, 2012 at 5:52 pm

      Hi Hermann, I hope I never let you down. Once again I thank you for such kind remarks.

      Reply
  4. Janet@simplysogood says

    September 3, 2012 at 6:18 pm

    Thank you for your comment and FABULOUS suggestion. Looks like I'm putting tomatoes on toast now. My grandmother used to simmer tomatoes in butter, tons of butter, then pour it over her homemade bread toasted. One of my favorite breakfast. I'll will definitely try your suggestion. I better get some bread rising.

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    September 3, 2012 at 5:51 pm

    I made this last night! So easy and very tasty. I made another batch of the tomatoes this morning as I have so much of a bounty crop. Had it this morning on top of a slice of toasted no knead crusty bread. Wow!!! I've just got to let you know I've been making a fresh batch of that bread every Sunday since I found your blog a few months ago. Changed my life, everyone looks forward to it. Keep the reciepes coming. Love this blog.
    Saundra, New York

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me

Janet Barton

Hi I'm Janet and this is where I share my delicious made-from-scratch seasonal recipes that I make at home for my family every day.

I believe cooking from scratch, using unprocessed and whole foods is an important part of healthy eating. My goal is to help you create amazing recipes by providing easy step-by-step photos and instructions.

Read More »

Trending Recipes

  • Lemonade and raspberry lemonade in tall glasses Old Fashioned Lemonade
  • No-knead Crusty Bread in a Dutch oven No-knead Crusty Bread
  • green Witch Finger Cookies standing in a black bowl Creepy Witch Finger Cookies
  • Kalamata olive fouggase on marble with dipping sauce Kalamata Olive and Rosemary Fougasse with Fresh Herb and Pepper Dipping Oil
  • large jar of spicy sweet pickles with habanero peppers and onions Spicy Sweet Refrigerator Pickles
  • Several chocolate drop cookies on white background Chocolate Drop Cookies
  • Slices of No-knead Partially sliced Green Chile Cheddar Bread No-Knead Green Chile Cheddar Bread
  • Jar of tomato jam on a linen towel with tomatoes and jalapeno peppers scattered Spicy Tomato Jam
  • Tree cut out sugar cookies with green icing and golden sprinkles Butter Dream Sugar Cookies
  • California veggie sandwich with fresh herb mayo California Veggie Sandwich with Fresh Herb Mayo

Latest on Instagram

simplysogood

Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the insi Crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. These fun zucchini corn fritters are addicting little bites using this season’s fresh Garden harvest. 🌽🌽

Fresh corn cut right off the cob and shredded garden zucchini folded into a light batter  Did I mention the chipotle lime dipping sauce? 🤤

You can whip these babies up in 30 minutes or less?

#cornfritters  #zucchini #summerharvest
I have always been afraid of making sorbet because I have always been afraid of making sorbet because I never knew just how much sugar to add to the recipe. 

Then I found this little tip!!

Drop a clean, uncooked egg into the sorbet mixture.  If the egg sinks to the bottom, more sugar syrup is needed.  

Slowly drizzle and stir in more syrup until the egg begins to float to the top of the mixture.  

You only want a quarter size of the egg showing.  Once you see this much of the egg, you have added enough of the sugar syrup.  Remove the egg and save it for baking a cake.  

Why do this test?  Well if you don’t add enough sugar syrup to the base, the sorbet will be icy and more like a granita.  

If you add too much syrup, the sorbet will be more like a slush and not form a nice shiny scoop.  
Who knew? 🤷🏼‍♀️
This is one BEETiful PEACHy wrap. Beets and peach This is one BEETiful PEACHy wrap.  Beets and peaches go with everything…am I right? 
#lovebeets #beets #peaches🍑
Happy Father’s Day to all you great dads out the Happy Father’s Day to all you great dads out there! Click the link in my bio for this double rootbeer ice cream float!
Happy Spring🌷 Here are some of my favorite Spri Happy Spring🌷 Here are some of my favorite Spring recipes.  I hope you love them. 

Link to the recipes in my bio.
What fun no-knead bread flavor combinations have y What fun no-knead bread flavor combinations have you tried!?
•
Share in the comments below for us all to try!
Are you making sugar cookies this Valentine’s Da Are you making sugar cookies this Valentine’s Day? 💝 I have been receiving so many questions regarding what sugar cookie is best to use. Click the link in my bio for a sugar cookie guide full of everything you need to know about baking sugar cookies.
Fluffy white chocolate icing is a silky smooth, me Fluffy white chocolate icing is a silky smooth, melt-in-your-mouth icing. It is satiny, less sweet, and quite unusual. I think you’re going to love it!
Almost too pretty to eat!! Almost! Avocado toast w Almost too pretty to eat!! Almost!
Avocado toast with beautiful beet butter and pickled red onions ❤️

How could I resist?  Could you?

#lovebeets #beets #beetlove
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

Featured on

The Daily Meal Logo The foodgawker-logo reddit Logo BuzzFeed Logo halfbaked Harvest Logo Browneyed Baker Logo FOOD52 Logo University of Washington Logo sheknows Logo

Copyright © 2022 Janet Barton
Privacy Policy